Youth Encounter with Pope Francis Special

We Are All God’s Children
Do you see these children on the streets?
Have you walked the pavement where they sleep?
Do you feel their hand when you give them alms?
Did you ever give them bread to eat?

Have you seen their homes washed by the floods?
While a mother tightly holds their child.
Do you hear the wind of the ranging storm?
Can you tell them where it’s coming from?

Mercy and compassion, this wasn’t opted just to be the theme of the Papal visit but it is more of an edifying message that the Pope desires to cascade to all especially to those Filipino faithfuls who almost lost their faith after the loss of their loved ones and homes wrecked by the super typhoon
Yolanda and the earthquake that struck some areas in the Visayas.

“I don’t know what to say, but the Lord does know what to say to you.” conveyed Pope Francis during his mass at the Tacloban airport where most of the thousands of attendees were victims of the calamities. While everyone broke into tears, the Pope shed light upon the faithfuls by imparting God’s abiding love and limitless hope that through their unceasing prayers God will heal their wounded hearts and make things well again.

“Let us look to Christ. He is the Lord. He understands us because he underwent all the trials that we, that you, have experienced.” said Pope Francis.

As these words resonated among all who have witnessed this touching moment. The youth cannot contain their excitement as they will be meeting the Pope the next day after that hallowed
event in Tacloban.

Let us show our love and mercy
With true kindness and humility
For God loves the weak and the needy
Just like you and me.

We are all God’s children
We are all the same
He is calling us by name to help
the poor and lame
And learn what life is really for
It’s to know and love and serve the Lord.

Many are called but 70 delegates of the Archdiocese of Davao were blessed to have that chance to attend the special encounter with the Pope at the grounds of the country’s pontifical university. Sharing to us their tale of experience and hope are, Lucille, Ivan Kyle, Leah, Rod and Vinice,
the dynamic youth from the Immaculate Conception Parish of Mintal:

We are all blessed and the feeling of bliss is the most common experience we felt when we saw in person Pope Francis, the energy from him radiates directly to our hearts. I can truly say “In persona
Christi” and no doubt, God is present and God is not far from us. As Pope Francis reached out to us, we all felt the same feeling, as if we were all reached out by God himself.

Before the invitation of the Youth Delegation to meet Pope Francis, we were already excited to join the crowd of thousands of people just to be part of the Papal Visit.

One Sunday morning, Fr. Jong Puerto, announced that there will be delegates for the youth encounter. With haste together with nine of our youth from San Antonio de Padua GKK of Deca Homes Mintal
under the Immaculate Conception Parish of Mintal, we expressed our desire to join and be part of the Davao Delegation to meet Pope Francis.

At first, we were all worried about the funds and how we can book the fare ticket and place to stay as our accommodation, as well as the food, but we were all positive that all these needs shall be provided unto us by God’s grace. Since that day and nearing to Pope Francis’ visit, we still
didn’t get the funds we need. It all came as a surprise, God made some people as an instrument of his miracles and we are all thankful to them for a being a blessing to our concerns.

The day before our flight, we asked our friends and family to write their intentions and we prayed for those intentions, we offered it every moment we meet the Pope along the streets and even on TV.

On the day of the youth encounter, notwithstanding the four hours spent waiting, standing just to enter the gate 5 of the University of Santo Tomas, amidst the complaint and the negative reactions
of other people; we really felt God’s presence. Our feelings were so intense, unexplainable. It goes beyond words.

The monumental part of God’s revealing love was manifested when Pope Francis greeted us with his joyous, genuine smile at a close distance. His presence has brought forth God’s presence within our midst.

We shed tears in Pope’s message, those moments when the Pope mobile stops just to hold, kiss and bless the children and the faithfuls gathered around, we felt the connection as if all of us where kissed and touched by God. The mercy and compassion channeled to the prayers we offer, the gratitude stone we put in our pockets, the shirt we wore that day, the key chains and images of Sto. Niño and even the tears we shed while we sang the Lord’s Prayer and join the thousands of delegates and attendees in accord singing, “Tell the World of His Love.”

Now, we bring home not our ‘pasalubong’, but a day-to-day mission to serve and spend time with the less
fortunate, the needy, and the lost for they deserve to receive Jesus our Lord.

Stand together and let’s do our part
Hear their voices mend their broken hearts
Choose to be brave, fight for their rights
Give them back their honor and their pride

Please do not be blind
And just leave them behind
To struggle in darkness
Or give them empty promises

The pope’s messages are very striking; very effective in streaming the divine energy into the hearts of every young armies of God.

“It is a joy for me to be with you [this morning.] I greet each of you from the heart, and I thank all of those who made this meeting possible. During my visit to the Philippines, I wanted in a particular
way to meet with the young people, to listen to you and to talk with you. I want to express the love and the hopes of the Church for you. And I want to encourage you, as Christian citizens of this country, to offer yourselves passionately and honestly to the great work of renewing your society and helping to build a better world.”

In this modern and fully-loaded-with-information time, the Holy Father underscored that life’s challenge among the young people of the Church.

“You may ask me: Father, how do we become saints? This is another challenge. It is the challenge of love. What is the most important subject you have to learn at university? What is most important
subject you have to learn in life? To learn how to love. This is the challenge that life
offers you: to learn to bow to love. Not just to accumulate information without knowing what to do with it. But through that love let that information bear fruit.”

“For this the Gospel offers us a serene way forward: using the three languages of the mind, heart and hands—and to use them in harmony. What you think, you must feel and put into effect. Your
information comes down to your heart and you put it into practice. Harmoniously. What you think, you feel and you do. Feel what you think and feel what you do. Do what you think and what you feel. The
three languages…”

May the youth be able to live with these three languages…To think. To feel. To do. And all in harmony. As they continue to do works of mercy and compassion to their brothers and sisters.

We are all God’s children
We are all the same
He is calling us by name to help the poor and lame
And to learn what life is really for
It’s to know and love and serve the Lord
It’s to know and love and serve the Lord
It’s to know and love and serve the Lord

(“We Are All God’s Children” sung by the country’s inspirational diva Ms. Jamie Rivera, is the official theme song of the Papal Visit to the Philippines. As this song is closely interlaced with and inspired from the theme of the Papal Visit, “Mercy and Compassion”) (by Ken Lloyd F. Briones)